There's Hope
by zayyduhkidd
Summary: #FitzCall Warning: Basically smut; (May include other S4 Olitz scenes and how I wish they had turned out or just my interpretation)
1. Chapter 1: Fitz Call pt 1

**A/N: Fuck it all! YES I wrote myself into this story because "There's hope"**

**He just took my ear sex virginity! His voice ALONE can perform tele-cum-esis. Geezus! Anyway, lemme quit before I have an accident ;)**

**Oh btw, I had already speculated on what the masturbating phone call was before and I feel like it was probably something similar to what happened on the show last nights. So this is basically a different version of my first interpretation. The regular font is present day phone call, the italics are the flashback sexing that goes along with the phone call because let's be honest…this probably isn't the only time they've talked about hope for themselves and what it means. For my sake we're going to pretend he did. Hopefully it's not too confusing for you guys.**

I pause right outside of his office door, fist raised, ready to knock, but something tells me to stop. I don't know what or why but I'm glad I do. His voice is deep and low. Pressing my ear up against the door, I can barely make out what he's saying. He must be on the phone with someone. Knowing him, it can only be one person: Olivia Pope. A part of me is jealous that she could have him if she wanted him. Another if dumbfounded as to why she's always running from the walking sex that is Fitzgerald Grant III. As far as I'm concerned the only time she should run is during sex. Especially if he's as rough as I imagine him to be. If I were her, I'd permanently be attached to him, by the waist of course.

I catch myself humming "Pony" by Ginuwine. Let me stop before I get all hot and bothered, or worst, busted. Shaking my head, I press my ear back to the door and listen to his end of the conversation…

* * *

><p><strong>Inside:<strong>

Fitz is standing next to one of the couches in his office, holding a glass of scotch. "I'm in a, well let's just say, I'm in a giving mood tonight. So first, I'd take off all your clothes. I wouldn't kiss you, not yet. I'd make you wait for that."

Olivia held the phone to her ear as she sat on the side of the bed. She was tempted to hang up until he said he'd take off all of her clothes. She thought back to the first time they had sex in the Oval Office; it was his inauguration night. Earlier that day they had talked about whether they thought there was really hope for them. He promised to show her later that night and that he did.

_He needed her in the most intimate of ways. His body was aching for hers ever since he placed the call to her office. Here she was, finally, in front of him. He moved forward, causing her to have to back up. Once her butt hit his desk, she froze. She knew there was nowhere for her to go. But if he came any closer she'd be tempted to jump on him. _

"_Stop," she said._

"_No." He gently used his body to push her into the desk, knocking over stuff in the process._

"_Stop. Stop," she repeated. He was a man on a mission._

"_No," he said again._

"_Stop, Fitz. Fitz!" _

_This time she managed to push him off of her. Her eyes were drawn to his erection, straining against his pants. She finally managed to raise her eyes up to meet his. He gave her his signature "I can make you cum just by looking at you" smirk. She hated it because she knew it was true. Looking at him, she was starting to forget why she stopped him in the first place._

"_We can't stop. I can't. You're the most important person in my life. I can't just stop. Can you?"_

_Did he really just ask me that? She thought. She knew she wouldn't stop till the cops came knocking and maybe not even then. Maybe if the world was ending…maybe. _

_He knows the effect his words have on her. Her lids lower and he watches her chest heaving. This time when he advances she makes no attempt to protest. He strategically places kisses along her body as he lowers himself onto his knees. She holds her breath as his hand disappears under her dress. His fingers ghost over her sex and her head falls back. He can already feel her wetness soaking her panties, running down her thighs. Pulling them down her smooth legs, he waits for her to step out of them before standing up in front of her again. Her hands go straight to his belt and start to unbuckle it. Get this shit out of the way, she thinks. _

_She starts to struggle just a little and looks down. He pulls her face back up and finishes taking off his belt and pants himself. She pulls his member out of his boxers and starts to stroke him slowly. Her soft hands make it hard for him to concentrate and he unconsciously thrusts into her hands as she spreads her legs wider to bring his body closer. _

_He grabs her wrists and shakes his head no. She looks at him, confused. If he chose this moment to come to his sense he's going to need more than the all of the armed forces he has at his disposal to stop her from killing him. _

_He pulls her off the desk and turns her body around so that she's facing away from him. Placing one hand between her shoulder blades, he pushes her forward so that he can unzip the back of her dress. He watches, mesmerized, as more and more of her skin peeks through. He pulls her up and turns her back around. She waits patiently for him to peel the dress off. It falls around her feet and he holds her hands as she steps out of it. He's getting a little impatient so he unfastens her bra and yanks it off in less than five seconds. _

"_Leave on your heels," he commands. _

"Then, once I had you naked, I'd spread you out on that desk so I could see you," Fitz said. He turned, remembering their first time as well.

Olivia is hanging on every word that leaves his mouth.

_She shivers in anticipation of his next move. He pulls her body against his, leaning in. But he doesn't kiss her. He wraps her arms around his neck before picking her up. He stands there for a minute, cupping the soft skin of her bottom. When he lays her on the desk, she tries to rise up on her elbows so he forces her flat on her back. _

_His hand moves down her stomach. He feels her muscles contract under his touch. The fact that he has this much of an effect on her makes him smile. _

_She's watching him as his eyes follow the path his hand is leading. When he reaches her sex he licks his lips. _

"Every inch of you," said Fitz. He can see her lying on his desk now as if she's really there. He starts walking around to the other side. He can hear her starting to fidget through the phone.

Olivia clenches her thighs together but it doesn't help. She crosses and uncrosses her legs. Either it's her imagination or it's getting really hot in here. It's probably all of the clothes she's wearing.

_She's barely 5'3 but her legs look like they go on for days. He suddenly has the urge to feel those legs draped over his shoulders. But only after he's tasted every inch of her. _

"And then I'd start at the bottom, and I'd work my way up," said Fitz. "Slowly, deliberately, so you fully understood the choice in front of you." He's standing in his favorite spot by the window.

Olivia can barely focus on anything but breathing normally. In and out. Shit, wrong thought.

_He grabs one leg and raises it up into the air. Thank God for Pilates, he thinks. He plans to use her flexibility to his advantage. He starts at her ankles, kissing and nipping. Then he moves up to her calves, alternating between each leg, dragging his lips up her skin with each kiss. His tongue would flick out occasionally, leaving a trail of wetness up her legs. She never knew the back of her knees were so sensitive until he dipped his tongue into the bend of it. _

_She almost couldn't believe how turned on she was. Olivia thought she might die of pleasure when he finally reached her core. God please don't let me die…at least not until he does that thing with his tongue on my clit, she prayed. _

_She was snapped out of her thoughts when he bit down on her upper thigh. That was definitely going to leave a mark. He had done it on purpose. _

_Once he reached the apex of her thighs, he stopped. He was waiting on her to open her eyes and look at him. She tried to open her eyes but she could feel his breath on her clit. It was a struggle not to cum from that sensation alone. _

"_Liv," he said. As he spoke he let his lips brush over her clit. He watched her squeeze her eyes closed tighter. Her hands were balled into fists at her side. _

"_Open your eyes," he said, licking up her slit between each word._

_She banged both fists on the desk. He smiled. Just as she was about to speak he pursed his lips, slowly moving them back and forth over her sex. Up until now, she had been holding her legs up but they went limp._

_This time he slowly licked up her slit. Her mouth fell open. His tongue never left her body, going up and down. Faster and harder. He teased her a bit more. Swirling his tongue around her clit. She started to moan as he sucked her bud into his mouth, tugging gently. All of those years of Spanish finally paid off as his tongue fluttered rapidly over her clit. _

_At this point she had one hand in her hair and his, ready to pull out both. _

_He slid one finger inside of her, then two. He loved how tight she was. How she seemed to be made specifically for him. He curled his fingers, hitting her spot just right. She was so close to coming and then he stopped. _

"So you fully realize just what you were giving up." He's moving to his chair. He almost smiles at the memory of the time they had sex there.

Olivia is trying to convince herself that's she's only unbuttoning her coat to try and cool off. Or that she's only horny because it's been a little while since she last had sex.

"_Fitz?" she asked. "What the fuck?"_

_He was leaning on his arms, over her body. There was that smirk again. He didn't speak. He stared intensely at her lips, her breasts, her sex, and finally her eyes. _

_She knew what he wanted. But she was Olivia Pope and Olivia Pope did not beg. She folded her arms across her chest with a daring look on her face. He stepped back, folding his arms as well. He could be stubborn too. _

_No one moved for a full minute. Then she bent her legs, placing her high heel clad feet up on the desk. Using one hand to spread her sex open, she made eye contact with him as her other hand began to play with her clit. His jaw clenched. She kept on, finally dipping one finger inside her core._

_He let out a low growl. She wasn't about to do his job. He planned to finish what he started. He watched her work for a little bit longer, enjoying the view, before grabbing both wrists and pinning them above her head. _

_He moved his shirt out of the way and grabbed his member, teasing her with the tip. Up, down. She was so wet and slippery; her juices were coating the head of his member. Neither of them could take anymore so he finally pushed all of the way in, releasing her hands. She grabbed his shirt, pulling him down as he started to thrust into her. He went torturously slow at first, gradually increasing his pace with long, hard strokes. One hand was rubbing her nub, the other was holding her breast as he licked and bit her nipple. She wanted him to kiss her. She pulled his head up but he moved to the side of her head to nibble on her earlobe. When she tried to grab his face he moved down to her neck. He started to suck on the skin, trailing hickeys up from the base of her throat. _

_It felt good as fuck but it still wasn't what she craved. _

"_Please," she whispered. "Please." She was starting to whimper._

"_Please what?" he asked, not once slowing down his pace._

"_Kiss…me."_

"_Kiss you where?"_

"_Lips. Plea…" That's all she managed to get out. He was pounding into her with such force he had to grab her shoulders to hold her in place._

"_Okay," he said. But he kept going. _

_Her words were no longer coherent. Then her body froze, mouth wide open. He pulled out quickly and latched his mouth onto her core, lapping up every last drop. He didn't stop until she came down of her orgasmic high, all while stroking himself. _

_Panting, she finally said, "I didn't… mean… there."_

"_I know," he smirked. He moved back up her body and stopped when his lips met hers. "I wanted to hear you beg first." He wasted no time sticking his tongue in her mouth, letting her taste herself._

"And then once you were begging, because I wouldn't stop until you were begging, I'd finally kiss you. On the mouth. So you could taste yourself," Fitz said. He knew exactly what he was doing to her. It was no secret that he had the kind of voice that could coax an orgasm out of a woman with just the word "Hi". He placed his feet up on the desk; he was enjoying this. "And then…" He paused, waiting to see if he had her full attention.

"And then what?" Olivia asked. Her right hand was alternating between pinching and rubbing her nipple through her clothes. She just needed a few more seconds and then she knew she'd find her release.

"That depends on how much hope there is." Fitz smirked, hanging up the phone. There was no way he was going to let her get off and he not join her. All he had to do now was wait. If he knew Olivia like he thinks he does, she'll be there. Soon!

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><p>My eyes were wide as I covered my mouth to muffle my scream. <em>Holy shit,<em> I thought. In my excitement I had unconsciously grabbed the knob. The more I heard the more tense I became until apparently I had twisted the doorknob. Next thing I knew, I fell into the room. He looked up, surprised. I blushed, mumbling something about there being hope and flew out of the room like he was about to sex me and I was running from the dick. He should be glad I managed to keep my clothes on; I know I am. How the fuck am I supposed to face him tomorrow morning? That's when I look up and see a flustered looking Olivia speed walking down the hall.

One of us won't be able to walk in the morning, I thought.

**P.s. This isn't it. I might let them actually have sex in another chapter. Maybe. Depends on what you guys think! And I know I have a story dedicated to one shots, if you read it, but I felt like this one should stand alone because well…ya know. **


	2. Chapter 2: Fitz Call pt 2

**A/n: I'd like to apologize in advance for a long chapter, but I felt like everything about this moment needed to be captured. Again, this is not intended to be a story but I felt this moment should stand alone unlike my other one-shots, unless you feel otherwise. All I can say is, I tried & I hope it's not too big of a disappointment. Enjoy lovelies!**

**Btw, I do take a few shots at Jake so if for some reason, you like him…Well sorrynotsorry!**

Fitz looked up as soon as the door opened again. He fully expected his assistant to come back in and jump his bones. Hell, maybe even apologize, although that's highly unlikely. He stopped, his breath caught in his chest, as Olivia stood in the doorway. She looked like she had run all the way from her apartment. He raised one eyebrow, amused.

Olivia leaned against the door. Her hand was on her chest as she tried to even out her breathing. When she moved, she let her purse slide off of her arm and onto the floor. She pulled off her black gloves and tossed them to the side next. Then her coat came off.

Fitz got up and came around to the other side of his desk. He was content to just watch her for a minute. She had a smirk on her face, matching his. She must have thought this was a game, but he was very serious. The fact that she came here tonight meant one thing: he would die before he let her go again. And he was going to have to prove that to her once and for all. He leaned back against the edge of his desk, hands gripping the edge, feet crossed at the ankles.

Olivia paused for a minute, truly admiring all that he was. She preferred him out of his clothes but she had to admit there was just something so sexy about the way he looked in them. The way his shirts would strain against his muscles or how his toned legs showed through his pants. He didn't look any of his 54 years of age. She was unconsciously touching her breasts again. The movement of him licking his lips broke her out of her spell. She reached down to un-tuck her shirt and pulled it slowly over her head, tossing it at him.

Fitz still hadn't moved. He knew once he did, all control would be gone. He wouldn't hurt her, at least not in an un-pleasurable way. When he was done with her, he wanted her to be deliciously sore. The last thing that would be on her mind was leaving him. If he were honest with himself, he didn't want to be able to stand up, either.

She trailed her hands down her body, stopping at the button on her black slacks. She unfastened them and pushed them over her hips, letting them fall around her feet. She stepped out of them and stopped.

Fitz gripped the edge of the desk a little tighter. His nostrils flared, eyes falling down to her breasts. They looked fuller now, practically spilling over the edge of the cups of her bra. And her bra… no the g-string; she was trying to kill him. It was a soft pink number, but it wasn't until she turned away from him to unfasten her bra and he got a perfect view of her ass that he almost ran over to her.

She unhooked her bra and let it fall off. Placing her hair over one shoulder, she looked at him over the exposed one. For some reason she felt a little self-conscious as she turned around. She placed her hands over both breasts, hiding them from his view. But once she was facing him she slowly let her hands fall; judging by the look in his eyes, whether he found her desirable or not would never be a question. She ran her hands thru her hair as she sashayed over towards him. She didn't stop until she was in the middle of the room.

Fitz finally released his death grip on his desk, loosening his tie. He watched as she stood there, twirling her hair around her index finger. She looked like a naughty girl, and naughty girls need to be punished. He unbuttoned his shirt. He tossed it at her, like she had done to him then pulled his undershirt over his head. He dropped it to the floor, never taking his eyes off of her. Her eyes never left his body as she admired his toned chest and well-defined abs. After the suicide attempt, he threw himself into his work and started exercising rigorously.

Finally, he began to walk towards her. She tried to move back a little but he grabbed her waist and yanked her body into his. She put her hands on his chest to keep him from squishing her and lost all train of thought. His skin felt hot underneath her palms. She started rubbing soothing circles on his chest. His eyes closed as he let out a breath.

"Livvie," he whispered.

"Hmm," she responded, still in a daze.

He finally opened his eyes and looked at her. She was just so beautiful. More so every time he laid eyes on her. He wanted a lifetime of looking into her eyes. She knew what he was thinking when her eyes met his. The intensity of his love frightened her, yet thrilled her at the same time. On the worst day it felt like she might suffocate from his love. But on the best day…his love felt like hope. His love felt like Vermont, and jam, and babies.

She slowly raised her arms to wrap around his neck. He held her tighter, loving how his arms fit into the curve of her waist. He let his fingers trail down to play with the strings, if you could call them strings, of her g-string. She knew what was coming and she didn't care as he ripped them off.

She wanted him to be naked too; when they were in their most basic form of being, their connection felt stronger than ever. That's why she never complained when things always seemed to lead to sex. It was never just "sex" with them. It wasn't even lovemaking. She didn't know how to describe it, all she knew was that no other man could touch her in the places that he could, in the ways that he could; even if other men thought that they could.

She reached down and slowly undid his belt buckle. He ran his hands up and down her arms as he watched her. She slowly slid his belt out of the loops and dropped it onto the floor. His breathing increased as she toyed with the button of his pants. Something as simple as undressing one another was akin to foreplay. Unzipping them, she pushed his pants to the floor. He toed off his shoes before kicking his pants off.

She grabbed the edge of his boxers as she stood up, pulling him closer. One hand went up to play in his curls as she licked at his lips. When she tried to kiss him, he pulled back. He was serious when he said he wouldn't kiss her until she was begging. As soon as he was completely naked he planned to show her why no other man would ever be right for her.

Not deterred, she kissed down his chest and stomach, stopping at his boxers. Using her teeth, she pulled them down to his knees before using her hands to take them the rest of the way off. She stood up, placing random kisses up both of his thighs, moving past his length, and retracing the path of kisses that she left on his stomach and chest earlier.

He let out a low growl before grabbing her face. He looked into her eyes and said, "I Love You. It's always been you. Only you."

Her eyes closed. She would never get tired of hearing him say that, even when she tried to fight her feelings and act like those words meant nothing. Even with everything that's happened, she still loves him too. But she's too scared to say it. She's already lied to him once, about leaving alone. Granted, it nearly killed her to force the words out and she immediately felt sick afterwards. But she felt like she didn't have a choice; she was always hurting him somehow and he had his daughter to deal with. She didn't want to make things worse in that moment. She personally knew how Karen was feeling. To make it worse, he never questioned her answers and after finding out the truth he still wanted her.

He waits for her to open her eyes before releasing her face. Wordlessly, he picks her up and walks her over to his desk, spreading her out like he promised.

She whispered, "I'm sorry" over and over. He knows why, but he doesn't care. Not anymore. All that matters is she's here now, where she belongs. And if he gets his way, the next time he calls her she won't even think about mentioning Jake's name.

He moved back to take off her heels. He didn't want her wearing anything but his scent. He pushed her legs wide open, moving until he was face to face with her core. He inhaled deeply, reveling in her sweet scent. She reached out to touch his hair and pull him closer but he slapped her hand away.

"No," he growled.

"But—"

"No," he said again, firmer this time.

He started kissing and biting her upper thighs. He licked each bite mark that he left, slowly moving closer to her core again. Olivia needed to put her hands somewhere so she tried to touch him again. This time he laced his fingers with hers, keeping her hands at her sides, on the desk.

Slowly, deliberately, he started to tease her, tracing patterns over her lower lips. He took his time with her as punishment for their earlier phone call. When he finally took her bud into his mouth, he swirled his tongue. Her mouth fell open as she struggled to keep her eyes open and head up so she could watch him. He was literally tongue kissing her clit. Her head fell back as she started to move her hips.

"Fitz…More," she begged.

"Mine!" he told her, before continuing.

Thrusting his tongue into her, he kept the same slow pace. He wanted her taste to be ingrained on his tongue. He wanted her to remember the way his tongue felt every time she took a step.

Letting his tongue slip out of her, he licked his way up her stomach, stopping at her breasts. He strategically placed hickeys all over her chest so she would know whom she belonged to when she saw herself naked in the mirror. And just in case she somehow slept with "him" anytime soon, he'd know too.

He finally released her hands, placing one of his on her back so he could hold her body still while he continued his "artwork". She wasted no time grabbing his hair to move his head so that he could take her nipple into his mouth. As soon as she felt his hot mouth where she wanted him, she let out a long moan.

When he pulled away abruptly, she tried to hit him.

"How does it feel when I leave you right when you need me most? Feels like you might die right?" he asked.

She focused on him then. His eyes looked so…tortured, and lost, underneath all of the love.

He said, "Imagine that but ten times worse. I didn't want to _live_ without you. I don't want to live without you."

Her heart felt like someone was squeezing it. "I don't want to live without you either," she admitted.

"Then don't," he told her, before leaning in to kiss her neck. "Don't leave me. Don't ever leave me." He mumbled into the skin of her neck. He didn't realize he was crying until he tasted the saltiness of his tears on her skin.

Her hands were running through his hair but at the realization that he was crying she tugged gently, bringing him face to face with her again. His eyes were closed in shame. She kissed his eyelids. She whispered for him to open his eyes.

"I'm so sorry. It meant nothing. He means nothing. I was wrong before, about... I don't know him like I know you. I could never know him like I know you."

He continued to look her in the eyes until he knew she wasn't lying to him. Without breaking eye contact, he pushed her legs further apart before pulling her body to his. He didn't even try to be gentle as he pushed into her.

He was home.

He brought his hand up to wrap around the back of her neck, holding her face in place as he began to move in and out of her. He picked up his pace as she bit her lip. The whole time they never took their eyes off one another.

"Tell me there's still hope."

"There's still…hope."

"Tell me we'll be together. Always."

"We'll always, be…" Lost in the sensations, she couldn't even finish her sentence.

She dropped her hands to his waist, trying to get even closer to him. His thrusts turned short and powerful as he felt her starting to lose control. Using his free arm, he placed it under her leg to increase the angle and friction.

She was starting to see stars. Surely this was the big one, the orgasm that would take her to heights she's never seen before killing her. And she'd die with the biggest grin on her face, in the arms of the man she loves.

He didn't stop until they came, together. Afterwards, he pulled out before dropping back down onto his knees. He aimed to please. Her body fell back onto the desk, exhausted but she jumped when she felt his tongue on her core.

"Fitz, what are you—"

He hummed in response. Her toes curled and she shut up. She knew this was his favorite part of sex: tasting her after her first orgasm, until she begged for him to stop. She usually hated begging because she felt weak but not with him.

This time he pushed two fingers into her as he licked at her bud. Her juices made it easy for him to slide in and out of her at a rapid pace.

"Stop, I c—Fitz…No…Please." She was trying to push his head away. "Fuuuuuuck!"

He didn't stop until he felt her thighs lock up around his head. If he didn't need to breath he would've kept going. He stood up, pulling her body up before crushing his mouth onto hers. Finally. She had been dying to feel his lips on hers all night. He kissed her like he kissed her core and she went limp in his arms. She was two seconds from passing out from her taste on his tongue.

He didn't stop kissing her as he picked her up and walked them backwards to the couch. He sat down with her straddling his lap. They went at it two more times while on the couch, in every position they could think of. This time they didn't hold anything back: he pulled her hair; she bit him. They were both too tired to move when they finally finished, but they couldn't stay there.

"Oh my god! Fitz, what about the 23 people?" she asked suddenly.

"What about them?" he asked. "I don't care who knows at this point as long as there is hope for us."

"But, shouldn't you let them at least go home? To, I don't know, go to sleep?"

"Only if you spend the night here, with me." The look he gave her dared her to say no.

She knew if she said no, he'd have her spread on the floor with him between her legs. But after the way he made love to her all evening, she'd get up on the podium herself and announce to the world that she loved Fitzgerald Grant III, if he asked her to. She agreed and they both got dressed, trying to be somewhat presentable. As they walked through the door he started laughing at her. She was walking like she had just learned how and was still unsteady on her feet. She turned to glare at him.

"This is your fault," she snapped, partly amused.

"No, it's your fault." He retorted. "At least you can stand up straight."

"Barely!" She giggled. "I still don't see how this is my fault though."

"You said there was hope. You shouldn't have said it if you knew you couldn't handle what it meant."

They continued their playful argument all the way upstairs.

**P.s. Depending on how the rest of S4A goes, I might add little tidbits to this story! ….Okay so I just saw The Last Supper & that bunker kiss? Look for a Chapter 3!**


	3. Chapter 3

"_You said there was hope. You shouldn't have said it if you knew you couldn't handle what it meant."_

_They continued their playful argument all the way upstairs. _

* * *

><p>That night, they made love so many times that they both lost count. All they knew was that there was still hope. That's all that mattered. No matter what would happen from this moment forward, they would both cling desperately to the notion of hope. It was what made everything up to this point worth it; every stolen moment, every night in each other's hotel room on the trail, every evening he snuck away from the White House to come to her apartment.<p>

The next day when Liv started to stretch in bed, she tried to determine if she dreamed last night or if it was in fact reality. God she hoped she hadn't dreamed it. Opening one eye, she was delighted to see Fitz lying in bed next to her. His hair was tousled, his head was propped up on his fist as he watched her fight off the last remnants of sleep. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared into the deep, rich blueness of his eyes.

"Hi," she said, smiling.

"Hi," he responded. His hand came up to move her hair out of her face.

Both of their voices were pretty hoarse from crying out while in the throes of passion last night.

Olivia sat up, pulling the sheet up around her naked chest. "Where's my phone?" she muttered to herself as she looked around the room. Spotting it across the room on the floor, she got out of bed, naked as the day she was born, to retrieve it. Fitz immediately sat up upon seeing her naked body. She was so tiny, yet she had all the right curves in all the right places. He could spend all day memorizing every part of her body. But she would never let him do that. Reality always had to interfere. Fitz got up to take a shower so he could start getting dressed. He had a busy day ahead of him.

When he emerged from the bathroom Olivia was back in her clothes from yesterday and pacing in circles. _Uh oh,_ he thought.

"What's wrong?" he asked, as he dropped his towel and found some underwear to put on. He was in the process of putting on his undershirt when she stopped pacing.

"I got a voicemail, last night. It's from Tom."

Fitz stopped moving. He turned to her, slowly. His face was expressionless but for a brief moment his nostrils flared and his jaws clenched. He continued getting dressed as though he hadn't heard her.

"He told me who killed Jerry," Olivia whispered. She hated that their moment of bliss had to be ruined so quickly. This always happened to them. They could never have a moment of happiness, at least, not for long. Someone or something always brought their time together to a quick end. But she meant what she said last night. There was hope.

"It wasn't Jake, Fitz," she said.

Fitz glanced up at her. He was torn. He loved her and he trusted her more than anyone else in his life. But when Jake was involved he didn't know what to believe, or think. She had been advocating for Jake's innocence from the beginning and he assumed it had to do with her feelings for him. But she said there was hope for them. And that meant something. Right?

"Okay," he said, slowly.

"We need to go see Jake. Maybe we can work together. Tom, he's B613 just like Jake. He said my father was the one who gave the orders."

Olivia watched as Fitz's face fell. For a moment she was confused and then it clicked. Her father. He was the one who made Fitz believe that Jake was responsible for Jerry's death. _Of course he would do something like that,_ she thought. It probably didn't help that Fitz was already biased against Jake.

"Olivia…" Fitz paused. He wasn't sure what to say. He was standing there, fully dressed except for his tie, which was undone and hanging loosely around his neck.

Olivia walked up to him, tying his tie. "Fitz, I know you don't like Jake. But my gut tells me that Tom is telling the truth. Besides, what would Jake gain from having Jerry killed?"

Fitz sighed. "Fine, I'll clear my schedule and we'll go see him in a few hours. But we have to be in this together Liv. You and me."

"You and me," she said, agreeing.

* * *

><p>Olivia and Fitz were talking on the way to see Jake.<p>

"According to Tom, my father sent someone to shut him up yesterday. Rowan knows that Tom spoke with me. He must know that I'm on to him."

"I still can't believe it was Rowan. Well I can but…I trusted him." Fitz was angry with himself as he flipped through the evidence that Olivia had brought along for him to see. After he left for his morning briefing, she had been escorted out of the White House discreetly. "What is the plan?"

"Right now, I need you and Jake to put your differences aside so that we can work together. We, you and I, are a team, but we need to include Jake as well, for the time being.

Fitz eyed her wearily. He didn't say anything, merely nodding his head in silent agreement.

* * *

><p>Fitz followed Liv into the bunker. Jake was seated at the table, sporting a few bruises thanks to Fitz's handiwork.<p>

Fitz took a seat, remaining silent. Liv addressed Jake, filling him in on what they had found out. She was trying not to stare too long at the bruises on his face. Fitz and Jake were busy glaring at one another, well mainly Jake. Fitz was taking quick glances at Olivia.

Suddenly, Jake spoke. "So, now I'm innocent, is what you're telling me? Good. Pleased to hear that. Should we take turns hugging? Or how does this work, exactly?"

Already Fitz was annoyed with Jake and his sarcasm. "Look, Jake—"

Fitz was interrupted by Jake. "Captain Ballard. Jake is what my friends call me. You're not my friend, Mr. President. Friends don't put you in prison for crimes you didn't commit. They don't refuse to hear you when you're telling them the truth. They don't hit you when you can't hit back. So from this point forward, when you refer to me, it will be as Captain Ballard, is that understood?"

Fitz almost laughed. At one point, long, long ago he might've considered them friends. But that was before Jake, or Captain Ballard as he stubbornly wanted to be called, tried to take his woman. Fitz was a kind man, he didn't mind sharing, especially with the less fortunate, but not his woman. She was off limits to anyone who wasn't him. He didn't know who this pompous asshole thought he was, but he would be the bigger man.

Jake turned his attention to Olivia. "Liv, has Rowan been arrested?"

"There isn't enough proof," she responded.

"Okay, good," said Jake.

"Good?" asked Fitz. He was briefly starting to wonder if Jake had in fact lost his mind. Maybe he hit him one time too many, or a little too hard.

Jake continued because he liked to hear himself talk or something along those lines. "What's easier? Killing a man when he's surrounded by guards, or doing it when he's out on the street and there's no one there to protect him?"

"No one's killing anyone," Olivia said.

"Someone's killing someone," said Jake.

"Jake." Fitz tried to interject. Jake's obsession with killing someone was worrying him. Was this really the man that his Livvie went away with. What if Jake had gone off the deep end and decided to hurt her? Fitz didn't even want to entertain that thought.

"Captain Ballard," Jake corrected, pettily.

"We want justice too, Jake. We all want justice." Olivia was trying to reason with him.

"I don't want justice. I want to kill your father. And I want you to let me do that."

"I can't!"

"Why?"

"What we're looking for here is evidence," Fitz yelled.

"Excuse me. I'm talking to my girlfriend."

Fitz decided to ignore that little comment. "If we can build a case against Rowan—"

Olivia was still stuck on Jake's girlfriend comment. Surely he didn't really believe that they had anything but occasionally good sex. And she was being very kind when she said good sex. It was really mediocre at best. Actually, she was sure she could get more satisfaction from her own fingers.

"He's still talking to me isn't he?" asked Jake. Fitz was starting to think he was arguing with an eight-year old girl. His youngest child, Teddy, wasn't this difficult and he could barely talk.

"—prosecute him for the crimes we know he's committed, put him in prison—" Fitz was trying to continue but Jake interrupted him yet again.

Fitz and Jake continued to argue back and forth, neither man willing to back down and let the other one "win". Occasionally Olivia would try to speak, too. She had to get Jake to see reason. They needed to take down Rowan but she didn't want any blood to be shed. She didn't love Jake, but she cared about him. She might not want to be with him forever but she still didn't want him to die.

"But you and me, we stand in the sun. We stand in the sun, Jake. That's what we do." Olivia tried the only thing she knew would get Jake to shut up and listen. It was wrong, but she had to play on his feelings for her. She knew he'd listen then. For a moment she felt guilty about saying these words in front of Fitz, but he had to know that they were endgame, no one else. "So, please, if there's anything you know, anything you have that will help us put my father away, you need to tell us. We need to do this right."

Jake had a smug look on his face at her words. Little did he know, they were just that, words. If they really stood in the sun like she claimed they did, she would've stayed on the island with him. Or better yet, immediately after burying Harrison she would've gotten on the first plane out of there with Jake so they could go back to the island. But she didn't, because she didn't want to.

* * *

><p>After their unsuccessful meeting with Jake, Fitz and Olivia both left to give him some time to think about whether or not he would actually cooperate. Thankfully, he finally decided to man up and stop acting like a petulant child. This time they brought in David Rosen to try and convince him to help them. Once the meeting was over Fitz left out first. As soon as Olivia came out of the bunker Fitz moved from his position leaning on the wall, placing his hand on Olivia's arm and walking alongside her.<p>

"You all right?" he asked. His first concern would always be her and her wellbeing. Always.

"I'm fine." Typical Olivia response, of course.

"This can't be easy for you. Whatever else Rowan is, he is your father." Fitz would know. His late father was the devil himself as far as Fitz was concerned, but at the end of the day he was still his father. Despite not wanting to be, he was very much affected by Big Jerry's actions all the way up until his death.

"I'm fine," Olivia repeated.

Fitz wasn't deterred though. He was still holding on to the fact that there was hope. "When this is over, you and me, Camp David, just us," Fitz said, leaning in to kiss her. He was slightly confused when she backed up a bit. He didn't want to believe that seeing Jake actually made her doubt that there was hope for them. "You don't want to kiss me because of Jake."

"That's not—"

"This is interesting." Fitz was actually amused. This was truly interesting. For the millionth time, Fitz wondered why he ever asked Jake to watch Olivia.

"Fitz—" Liv tried to explain, backing up until her back hit the wall behind her.

"No, really, it is." He paused. "You don't know what to do. Is it disloyal to want me? Or is it disloyal to want him? You don't know." Honestly, Fitz had to admire her "loyalty". But he knew at the end of the day, she was his. They belonged together. He moved towards her, invading her personal space

Olivia tried to control her breathing. "Okay, just stop it." Fitz being this close only made her want to do one thing and it wasn't talking.

Fitz stared at her, moving even closer to her but not touching her. "Kiss me."

Olivia was taken aback by his request. It's not that she didn't want to. Kissing him was her second favorite thing in the world. "What?"

"Kiss me," Fitz repeated.

"Let's just go," Olivia said. She didn't want to do this here. She'd rather they be in her bedroom. She was trying to avoid eye contact with Fitz so he wouldn't know where her thoughts had gone.

"Look at me," he commanded. "We are alone. Locked doors, no cameras. You and me." His eyes traveled down to her lips. He wasn't going to move until she kissed him. He needed to feel her lips on his to be reassured. "Everything that has happened, everything that will happen, right now none of it matters. There's no price. This one's free. It's just you and me." He paused, letting his words sink in. It had always been just she and him. It always would be as far as he was concerned. "Kiss me Olivia. You know you want to."

Olivia gulped. She was trying not to get lost in his eyes. But his voice, it did things to her, things that shouldn't be legal. She knew once her lips touched his it would be over. She'd be taking her clothes off quicker than he could say strip. He was so close to her and her body was hyper aware of this fact. She always felt the most alive when they were this close.

"Kiss me," he said again. This time he leaned forward as though he were going to kiss her. "Kiss me."

The ball was in her court this time. Her breathing became ragged as she tried not to show how desperately she wanted to kiss him. _To hell with this shit,_ she thought. _I want this. I know it and he does too._

So she went for it. Their lips met, fusing together as though it were the only way for them to receive oxygen and they were about to die. Olivia's hand pulled Fitz closer to her by his neck, holding him in place. Involuntarily, her body tried to move as close to him as possible. It was like she was drawn to him by some magnetic force. She was really getting into the kiss, breathing hard, almost to the point of panting in his mouth. Fitz cupped her face in his hands as she tried to deepen the kiss even further. He literally had to force their lips apart. If he didn't he was sure Liv would be trying to climb his body. Not that he'd mind, but they couldn't do that here.

The look on Olivia's face once she realized that Fitz wasn't kissing her anymore would have been comical if she didn't look so murderous. She quickly tried to compose herself, but it was too late. He knew just how much the kiss affected her.

"You don't go this way. Go another way."

Fitz had the cutest puzzled expression on his face. "It's a bunker. There's only one way."

Olivia wanted to laugh at herself once she realized that he was right. Damn, she had it bad. But she wouldn't have it any other way. Fitz gave her a look as though to say "now tell me there isn't still hope and next I'll fuck you against the wall, location be damned" as Olivia walked off. He admired the way her backside moved in her slacks before following her out.

He hoped he'd get to see her again and soon. He'd like to show her a few more ways that there's hope.

**A/N: So, this story was going to be a one-shot initially. Then chapter 2 happened and I was like, "Okay, maybe there's potential here." I had hope for Olitz ever since this episode, even when it seemed like there really wasn't any. But I didn't know how I wanted to continue this story so I decided to wait. Then of course that Finale that God wrote was bestowed upon us, and well…you know why I'm here. So I think we all know how this story will end. The question is, how will I get us there? I know I only want to focus on olitz-centric moments while adding my own little tidbits to it, but I do not want to add the kidnapping into this story coz that was just, NO! Or should I? Leave me suggestions por favor. Oh and enjoy lovelies! (It's very late so excuse any grammatical errors please)**


	4. Chapter 4

_Olivia wanted to laugh at herself once she realized that he was right. Damn, she had it bad. But she wouldn't have it any other way. Fitz gave her a look as though to say "now tell me there isn't still hope and next I'll fuck you against the wall, location be damned" as Olivia walked off. He admired the way her backside moved in her slacks before following her out._

_He hoped he'd get to see her again and soon. He'd like to show her a few more ways that there's hope._

* * *

><p>The next day Liv was in her office, pacing, when Jake showed up. She'd just gotten off the phone not too long ago with Quinn who informed her that the Vice President, Kubiak, and Elizabeth North had all been meeting together. Her gut was telling her that something was wrong, or about to go wrong; most likely both.<p>

"Jake," Olivia said.

"Take it," Jake said, handing her a gun.

"Why?" Olivia didn't know why he was handing her a gun. He knew how she felt about them. Well, he should, since he thinks he knows her so well.

"You need it."

"I don't need a gun. Why would I need a gun?" The truth was, Olivia felt like she didn't need a gun because she knew Fitz had someone watching her at all times. And if something ever were to happen to her, heads would roll and Fitz would do whatever he could to save her.

"For protection," Jake said. "Your father is cleaning up." He showed her a card with his face on it, explaining to her that it was a kill card. Rowan had to cover his tracks, which meant eliminating everyone who knew more than they should; basically every B613 agent ever.

Jake took it upon himself to go over what areas of the body she should aim for if she ever got the chance to take Rowan out. As he stood behind her, inhaling her scent, he had to remind himself to focus. For his peace of mind, he had to know that she'd be able to defend herself. But he couldn't help himself. After she asked about a kill shot he blurted out, "We don't have to stay here, you know. Say the word, I will stop trying to find your father. We can pack up and leave all of this behind. We can close Pandora's box… And go back to the sun."

Olivia looked at him for a second. _Oh God, _she thought,_ he actually believed that sun crap I fed him yesterday. _She almost rolled her eyes at him. Didn't he get it? There would never be a "them", not as long as Fitz was alive and breathing. The sun wasn't even theirs to begin with. Olivia distinctly remembered Jake asking her to stand in the sun with him while she was working on getting Fitz reelected and the moment he realized she couldn't because she was already in the sun with Fitz. Obviously, he had forgotten all about that. Olivia feared that leaving with Jake had caused him to believe that she was in the sun with him now. She might've been able to make herself believe that lie while they were on the island, but no matter whom she stood next to, Fitz would always be her sun. She'd just be biding her time until she could resume her place next to Fitz. The sun was hers and Fitz's alone.

"The sun went down a long time ago, and it's not coming back up," Olivia said, calmly. You wouldn't even know that with that one sentence she was crushing Jake's hopes and dreams of a life with her.

As Jake left, looking like a sad puppy, Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully, he got the message now. It was kind of sad: a grown man pining after a woman who didn't love him, who had to live in a pretend world in order for them to "have" anything. She was Julia Baker when they were gone, because Olivia Pope was spoken for. Olivia Pope belonged to Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III mind, heart, body, and soul.

* * *

><p>Later that same day, after all of the craziness Olivia went through, there was only one thing on her mind: getting to Fitz. He was her calm in the middle of the storm. He worked even better than wine when it came to calming her nerves.<p>

She needed to unwind and talk to him. She had growing suspicions about Andrew Nichols and Elizabeth North. They were planning something big, something that would leave Fitz backed into a corner and force his hand. She had reason to believe it was due to West Angola. And then there was her father. She was a little shaken, still, from his impromptu visit earlier.

As soon as she got outside of the Oval Office, Fitz's assistant, Charlotte, said, "You're free to go in, Ms. Pope."

Olivia paused, though, instead of entering. She looked through the open doorway at Fitz. He was standing with Cyrus and Abby, having a drink and laughing. She loved to hear him laugh. It was such a rare thing, especially since he became President and they realized they couldn't be together the way they wanted to. She didn't want to interrupt him. She could talk to him later. In fact, that's what she'd do. She'd call him after she got home.

She smiled to herself before walking away. She had something to take care of first.

* * *

><p>On her way home, Olivia got a call from Quinn. She confirmed Olivia's suspicions. So this could only mean one thing. If Andrew didn't get the war he wanted, he would retaliate against Fitz. <em>But how?<em> She wondered. She'd have to talk that over with Fitz later. After she got off the phone with Quinn, she called Jake and told him to come over.

Olivia was listening to an old record, Stevie Wonder's _The Key of Life, _lightly dancing around her apartment in excitement about what she was planning to do and what her team had figured out, when she heard a knock.

_That must be Jake,_ she thought. Opening the door, she was a little disappointed to find that she was right. "You're just in time," she said, allowing him to enter her apartment.

"You look happy," Jake said. He seemed confused.

"You're coming in?" Olivia asked. She walked over to her dining room table. "I found two bottles of Bu Bellay at this tiny, little wine shop in Adams Morgan. Two."

"Liv, I need to talk to you about your father."

"I don't want to talk about my father," Olivia said, trying to change the subject. "I also got you beer, something imported, the guy said would amaze you. But it's beer, so—"

Jake interrupted her. "Liv, I had him. I had your father, and I lost him."

That last statement didn't surprise Olivia but she still didn't want to talk about her father. That's not why she invited him over. Also not surprising is Jake's insistence on talking about her father. Did he ever know when to quit?

Eventually she said, "Let it go." She gave Jake a pointed look. He needed to let a lot of things go, starting with her.

"This one. This is one of my favorites." She's referencing Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" playing in the background.

"Hey, hey Liv," Jake tries to say.

"Dance with me," Olivia commands. She considers this her final parting gift with Jake; his first and last dance with her before she sent him on his merry way.

He finally gave in and did as she requested, because he couldn't resist partaking in this carefree moment with Olivia. He briefly wondered why she couldn't always look that carefree. She didn't even look that relaxed on the island with him. In fact, the last time she'd been that relaxed was around the time Cyrus had his first heart attack and Fitz and her were planning on being together, for real. That thought was pretty sobering for him. And that's when he realized why she probably called him over.

_Fuck,_ he thought. _The sun really has gone down, making today the darkest day known to man._

He didn't stop dancing though. He was trying to remain optimistic.

Olivia looked at him for a moment, trying to determine if she could ever see herself with him. She couldn't. "I want Vermont, with Fitz," she said. It felt good to finally admit that out loud. _There's hope,_ she thought to herself.

"Oh. Okay," Jake said, looking like someone had kicked his puppy.

Olivia only allowed herself to feel bad for a few seconds. "I choose Fitz, Jake." She stopped dancing. "I'm sorry." She really was sorry but she had to do this. There was hope for her and Fitz.

Jake stopped dancing, too. He nodded his head, letting her know that he understood. She didn't want him. He could accept that, right?

He didn't even bother trying to convince her otherwise, or sticking around. He put on his jacket and left.

As soon as he was gone Olivia turned off the music, smiling to herself. She'd done it. She finally got rid of Jake. She hoped that it would be for good, but who knew when it came to Jake. He couldn't seem to accept that he had fallen in love all by himself. She didn't feel the same way about him.

Well, so much for the Gettysburger she had bought to share with him. She wasn't that cold. She had planned to at least feed him before kicking him to the curb.

Olivia put the untouched food into her fridge. Grabbing one of the bottles of wine and a wineglass, she made her way into her bedroom. She was anxious to talk to Fitz. If she weren't used to controlling her emotions, she'd be bouncing up and down with excitement.

Getting in bed, she poured a full glass of wine, sitting the bottle on her nightstand. She grabbed her phone, not her regular cellphone, but her Fitz phone as she liked to call it, and called Fitz.

It rang three times before he picked up. "Hi," she said, smiling.

"Hi."

They sat there for one minute, just listening to one another breath.

Olivia was the first one to speak. "I missed you," she admitted.

"I missed you too, Livvy."

"How was your day?"

"Besides getting to see you this morning, it was long and boring. Thanks for saving Cyrus, by the way. I'm not sure how well I'd function without him," Fitz admitted.

"Yeah well, like I told him. Marriage is the only way to sell this. America loves a love story. America will forgive anything for love."

"And they did," he said.

They both thought about that fact. If America could forgive Cyrus, a gay man, then surely they wouldn't be crucified for wanting to be together and get married.

"I came by the White House tonight to see you, but you were busy."

"You should've interrupted me. You know I'm never too busy for you, Livvy."

Olivia smiled. "I know, but I had something I needed to take care of, anyway."

"Yeah, like what?" Fitz asked. He was sitting on one of the couches in his office, feet propped up on the table. He loosened his tie.

"I got rid of Jake. I told him that I choose you."

Fitz's movements halted at her words. _She what? _

"Fitz?" Olivia called his name after he was silent for longer than a minute. "Say something."

"I'm here, I just—I don't know what to say." He was getting choked up. "You chose me."

"I did," Olivia said, proudly. They let her words sink in. Usually Olivia was the one who feared that she'd never be chosen, that is, until that night that they ran out the clock together. But she walked away from him after that. And then she left with Jake right after he was re-elected. So, although he never admitted it, he was starting to fear that it was _her_ who would never choose _him. _

Fitz cleared his throat. "So, what were you coming to see me about earlier?"

"Who's to say I wasn't there just to see you?" Olivia asked.

Fitz laughed. "No, seriously."

"I came to you to talk, actually. My team had been following Elizabeth North and noticed that she was working with Andrew and a man named Kubiak. They've been communicating a lot lately, and I believed that they were planning something. After I left the White House tonight, one of my team members confirmed my suspicions."

"And what were, or are, your suspicions?" Fitz asked.

"The bombing was staged by Andrew to get you to go to war against West Angola. But you didn't, and Fitz, he isn't happy about that."

Fitz grunted. He didn't care how Andrew felt.

"So I felt like he was going to do something to get back at you and force you to go to war. But that's were I'm drawing a blank. I can't figure out what he'd do."

Fitz sat up straight, feet planted firmly on the ground. His eyes were wide. "Shit," he mumbled. "Livvy, hold on." Immediately, Fitz summoned his Secret Service agents and let them know what he wanted them to do.

Five minutes later, Fitz picked his phone back up. "Livvy, are you still there?"

"Fitz, I—" and then she screamed.

"Livvy hold on. Someone's already on the way!" Fitz yelled before dropping his phone. He instantly ran out of the Oval Office. His security detail was trying to keep up with him, but he was running like a bat out of hell. And they said white men cant run.

"Mr. President, sir, stop!" his agents yelled behind him. "Slow down!"

Fitz slowed down only a little, allowing one to catch up. "Take me to Olivia Pope's apartment, NOW!" he yelled, out of breath.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I hate to get all in my feelings but I'd be lying if I said my confidence didn't take a hit from a guest reviewer on one of my other stories. I'm in no way going to stop writing but I do worry about my ability to actually tell a story well and the review kind of hit it right on the nail. I can respect you commenting on my fanfic stories, but to attack my desire to write an actual book one day was beyond a low blow and just rude as hell. That's what I can't accept. **

**So I pray that I do write a book one day and by some miracle it's a best-seller, because I want you to remember what you said to me. If you happen to read this story next, save your ridiculous comments boo.**

* * *

><p>"<em>Mr. President, sir, stop!" his agents yelled behind him. "Slow down!"<em>

_Fitz slowed down only a little, allowing one to catch up. "Take me to Olivia Pope's apartment, NOW!" he yelled, out of breath._

Fitz barely gave anyone time to assemble the necessary people for his impromptu excursion and the head of his security detail knew he'd be getting an earful later, if he even still had a job. But Fitz's primary concern was Olivia. He'd realize just before he heard her being taken what Andrew and Elizabeth were going to do. That's why he walked outside the Oval and told his men to send Olivia's agents to check on her. He regretted giving them the night off now. He should've known better.

Fitz was about to try and drive, but he knew there's no way anyone would let him behind the wheel, especially not in his frantic state. His mind kept racing with thoughts of Olivia the whole ride there. Due to the time of night, it didn't take long to get to Olivia's apartment but in that time he thought about the way she stormed into his strategy meeting on the campaign trail and blew him away. He thought about the first time he looked into her eyes up close and how he just knew, then and there, he was looking into his future. He thought about the first time he admitted he loved her at a debate, or their first one minute in the hallway. He thought about their first time making love, and how shortly before he finally got her to call him Fitz instead of her customary Governor Grant. He thought about Doux Bébé, and his flag pin. He thought about the Rose Garden and the Constitution. They had so many memories together and he refused to believe that they'd all end now, in such a cruel manner.

The suburban had barely stopped when Fitz hopped out of the door. He didn't stop even as his agents continued to curse and call his name, chasing after him yet again. He didn't care that he was putting his life in danger by going into an unknown situation where possibly more than one person could be armed. He only cared about Olivia, his Livvie. His beautiful Livvie.

He wasn't a praying man, but as he took the stairwell two steps at a time, he prayed that what he'd find when he got to Liv's floor wouldn't drive him to the level of depression he felt when she left with Jake. He couldn't handle that level of emotional pain again. He didn't want to live. He couldn't live without Liv. How one man's mere existence depended so much on one woman, he'd never know.

Before Fitz could open the door and exit the stairwell on her floor, his agents came barreling up the stairs behind him. Two different pairs of hands grabbed him; he didn't know whose they were but once he found out he'd be sure to fire them.

"Sir, you cannot go through that door yet. We don't know who is on the other side, or what we'll find. Can you please just let us do our job and protect you?" asked John. John was one of Fitz's best agents besides Tom, and since Tom was no longer with them, he knew he had to listen to and trust John to do his job. Well, that's what he should do but he'd never been good at doing what others wanted him to.

"But John…"

"No buts, sir. You need to stand down." John's tone was commanding. He wasn't asking Fitz to stand down, he was telling him.

Fitz was looking at John but he didn't really see him. All he could think about was Livvie. He had to get to his Livvie. He knew then what he had to do.

"John, I'm sorry."

What happened next was so quick that most of his agents hadn't even realized what was happening until they found themselves flat on their ass, clutching their nose or throat. Fitz freed himself from the two agents who were holding him, elbowing them both in the nose, one after the other. Blood squirted from their broken noses. He punched the rest of the agents in the throat, effectively knocking the wind out of them. He didn't hit them hard enough to do any permanent damage; he'd been trained on the proper ways to do so while he was doing black ops.

Reaching down, Fitz grabbed John's SIG Sauer from his holster, as well as his semi-automatic pistol. Tucking the SIG Sauer in the back of his waistband, Fitz placed his hand on the knob and closed his eyes. He counted to ten, took a deep breath, and flung the door open. Keeping his weapon aimed, he surveyed his surroundings. Olivia's door was still wide open. He was slowly making his way towards it when he heard a muffled scream coming from across the hall.

Fitz stood in the middle of the hallway, torn between whether to check out the noise across the hall or whether to make sure Liv's apartment was empty. He decided that he needed to make sure her apartment was empty first so that no one could sneak up behind him while he checked out the apartment across the hall.

He quickly ran through each room in her apartment, checking closets and under her bed. Once he was satisfied that it was empty, he ran out of her apartment, closing the door behind him. In his haste, he slammed the door and as soon as he did so he heard the muffled scream from across the hall again. He knew he needed to act quickly. It had been almost 30 minutes since Liv had been taken and he needed to find her sooner rather than later.

Making his way over to the door, Fitz placed his ear against it. He heard muffled voices. His heart rate sped up. He didn't know how, and he could be very wrong, but he just knew that his Livvie was on the other side of the door. He could feel her presence.

_Okay, focus Grant,_ he thought.

Just like in the stairwell, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and counted to ten. Fitz kicked the door in and ran blindly into the room. In a matter of minutes, he focused on and shot every man in the forehead except for the one who was holding Olivia. He almost cried out in joy when he saw her face. She looked so scared though, and that's what caused him to focus. He had to get her out of there safely, at all costs.

Olivia's eyes were focused on Fitz as she tried to remain calm. He came for her. She couldn't believe it. Tears started to fall down her face. As soon as an anguished sob escaped her mouth her captor harshly told her to shut up. He had his gun pointed at her head as he tried to back farther into the apartment and away from Fitz. Fitz took slow, measured steps towards them.

"Let her go," Fitz said.

The man just laughed. They both knew it wasn't going to be that simple. Fitz heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't turn. He was only focused on Olivia.

"Let her go," Fitz repeated.

"Or what? You gonna shoot me?" said the man.

Fitz focused in on his target. "That's exactly what I'm going to do," he said.

There were several loud pops and the man fell to the ground. He never knew what hit him. Olivia shrieked, clasping her hand over her mouth. Fitz dropped his gun, running over to Liv's side. She was starting to shake uncontrollably as she clutched his shirt in her fists, crying into his chest. He tried to sooth her, rubbing her back as he assured her that everything was okay.

Olivia refused to leave Fitz's side as he spoke to his now conscience Secret Service Agents. To say they were pissed would be an understatement. Fitz stood there as John yelled at him, calling him every name under the sun for being "so goddamned stupid." He didn't care. He was just glad that he was able to get to Olivia in time. While John was ripping him a new one, the agents he had sent to check on Olivia showed up. Fitz glared at them.

"I hope all of you know that you're fired. What the hell took you so long?!" he yelled. "You know what, I don't even want to hear it right now. I'll deal with you all later."

The agents all knew better than to try and argue their case with Fitz. They had messed up, majorly, and they'd all be paying for it.

Fitz had his agents call ahead to James Madison Hospital to secure a doctor for Liv. She looked fine, but he still wanted her to get checked out. For his peace of mind he needed a doctor to assure him that she was fine. She still refused to let him go so he went with her to the hospital. Not that he'd ever planned to let her leave his sight in the near future, though. The whole time John was giving him evil glares through the rearview mirror.

Just as they pulled up to the emergency drop off, his cellphone started to ring. He knew without looking who it would be.

"Fitzgerald!" Mellie yelled.

"Mellie," Fitz calmly stated. Mellie started yelling, going on and on in her usual fashion but he cut her off. "Now is not the time Mellie." Before she could respond he hung up the phone.

Fitz got out of the car first then scooped Olivia up into his arms, carrying her into the hospital. He didn't put her down until they got to her private room. But Olivia started to protest, clutching his shirt tighter,when he tried to put her down so he just sat on her bed with her on his lap.

"I've got you," he whispered, kissing her hair.

As soon as the doctor showed up, Fitz convinced Liv to get checked out on her own. Honestly, he really just needed a moment to himself, to really absorb everything that had just happened. Someone had tried to hurt his Livvie. And not just anyone, but people he knew. People that he thought he could trust. But he should've known better once he found out that Andrew was screwing Mellie. Why hadn't he listened to Liv when she said Andrew was wrong? He shook his head in disbelief.

He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

"Sir," John said.

"I just need a minute, John. Just one minute," Fitz said.

Five minutes later, Liv's doctor stepped out, introducing herself to Fitz.

"Mr. President, sir," she cleared her throat, "Miss Pope is fine. She's a bit shaken up, but she's fine. I prescribed her some mild sedatives in case she ever has problems sleeping. Everyone deals with experiences differently, so what may not seem detrimental to some can be to others. I'd recommend keeping an eye on her to see how she's faring."

"Thank you so much Dr. Adams," Fitz said, shaking her hand.

"My pleasure Mr. President." Dr. Adams walked off. Because it was pretty late, she wasn't on call. She'd just been called in to attend to Olivia since she was the best doctor they had.

When Fitz walked back into Liv's hospital room she was lying on the bed, on her side. She looked over at him when she heard the door open and close.

"Fitz."

He rushed over to her, getting in bed with her and wrapping his arms around her. He exhaled loudly. It felt so good to have her back in his arms and safe.

"I was so scared," she whispered.

"I know, Livvie, I know."

"I knew you'd find a way to save me, though. I knew…" her voice broke. Fitz hated to hear or see her cry. She deserved to be happy at all times. His heart felt like it was breaking to think that because of him someone was willing to try and hurt her. Sadly, they knew just how to get to him. Anything else he could deal with, but when it came to his kids and Liv, he'd move heaven and Earth.

"I'd never let anything happen to you. Even if there weren't any hope for us, I'd still find a way to make sure you were safe. Always."

They lay there as Liv tried to calm down. 10 minutes passed by before she spoke again.

"I kept thinking about Vermont. From the moment they first grabbed me, up until I saw you burst through the door, I thought about Vermont and jam." She paused. "I kept picturing you saving me, and then us running away to Vermont. Can't you see it?"

"I can see it," he answered. And he could. The picture was so vivid in his mind he almost thought that the life he was living now was just a nightmare that he was having while lying in bed with Liv in Vermont.

She continued. "I still want that, Fitz. I want it so bad that I can taste it; you, as Mayor, and me making jam. We could wake up in the mornings and share a shower, because if we don't I'll use up all of the hot water and you'll be mad that you're forced to take a cold shower."

Fitz smiled wistfully. "And what else?"

"You'll complain about having to throw the first pitch at a nationals game because that's not the same as throwing the first pitch for the Vermont Lake Monsters. I'll tell you it's fine, because everyone loves you. You're a great mayor just like you're a great president. And before you leave, I'll ask what your day looks like and you'll tell me about your meetings and I'll tell you I'm making boysenberry jam because we know how much you love boysenberry jam."

"Oh Livvie," he said. Why couldn't that be their reality? It should be their reality. "I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure that that is no longer just a dream, but our everyday life."

Olivia smiled. "There's hope," she whispered.

"There's hope," he repeated.

After a nurse brought back Olivia's discharge papers, Fitz picked her up, holding her in his arms again. He was taking her home, with him. Where she belongs.

**So I'm very aware that Livvie is spelled with an "ie" and not a "y" but for some reason I always type a "y", or at least most times. I apologize for that. I'll try to catch myself but if you ever notice that in one chapter it's spelled differently than the next then that's why. Sorry!**


	6. Chapter 6

"_There's hope," he repeated. _

_After a nurse brought back Olivia's discharge papers, Fitz picked her up, holding her in his arms again. He was taking her home, with him. Where she belongs. _

* * *

><p>Olivia was laying in one of the many guest bedrooms at Blair House, resting. Fitz had given her one of her sedatives in the car when she started to freak out. He understood her level of panic, he felt it too, when he thought about what could have happened to her if he hadn't intercepted and killed her kidnappers.<p>

Fitz was sitting in a chair across the room, watching her. The lights were out and nothing but the glow of the moon cast what little light there was in the room. He had one finger resting on his top lip and his thumb under his chin as he sat there. He felt like he'd aged 10 years in the last few hours. His tie was loose, hanging around his neck, while his shirt was un-tucked and halfway unbuttoned. He was partially obscured by the shadows in the room.

The only thing helping him stay calm was the rise and fall of Olivia's chest as she breathed in and out. She looked so peaceful thanks to the sedatives, otherwise he knew her brow would be furrowed and she'd be awake and probably pacing in circles.

Fitz was pulled from his thoughts by John's voice. "Sir, I need to see you in the conference room."

"Keep your voice down, John. She's sleeping and if she wakes up I'll have your ass," Fitz said. He stood up and moved to follow John out of the bedroom.

"Yeah right. After that stunt you pulled earlier today it's me who should be having your ass. I still can't believe you were so reckless. Do you know the kind of ass-chewing I just got because _you_ decided to disarm men whose job it is to protect you, all so you could save Miss Pope?" John gave Fitz a side-eye.

"John, Miss Pope, is the love of my life. You're lucky I only disarmed you and didn't permanently debilitate you, or worse, kill you."

John didn't respond. He knew Fitz was right. Many people weren't aware of the skills that Fitz possessed and his agents liked to keep it that way. If push ever came to shove, they'd have the element of surprise if Fitz had to help save himself.

* * *

><p>As soon as they arrived at the conference room, everyone stood. Fitz motioned for them to sit down before taking a seat. Everyone glanced at each other, wondering about Fitz's disheveled appearance.<p>

"Talk to me," he said. They could hear how tired he was. Apparently, the adrenaline rush from earlier was officially over.

John spoke up first. "Sir, we've had agents working to figure out the location of Andrew Nichols and Elizabeth North and we have reason to believe that they may have fled the city together. As for Kubiak, he's in the wind. I don't think he'll be easily found, but we have the best men working on it."

"Okay," Fitz said. "I think I know how to figure out where Andrew and Elizabeth are going."

"How?" Another agent, Michael, asked.

"Don't worry about that at the moment. What I need to know is what the hell happened to the agents I sent to Olivia's apartment earlier this evening?" No one spoke. "Answer me!"

Fitz looked around the room but everyone was avoiding his gaze.

"Someone better speak, right now, or so help me God, I will grab one of your guns and shoot every last one of you and then you're all fired!" Fitz knew he was being irrational, but he was still livid. If he didn't have the skills he had, and if he hadn't figured out what was going to happen… He had to stop himself from following that train of thought.

Fitz sat back in his chair and closed his eyes for a second, trying to calm down.

"Sir, we have reason to believe that they received a phone call telling them that you had given the order for them to come back to the White House."

Fitz wasn't sure who had spoken. His eyes flew open and he glanced around the room at every agent, briefly. He had to have been hearing things. But he knew he heard right and he had a pretty good feeling he knew who might've made the call. It was the same person who knew exactly where Andrew and Elizabeth were.

"Who do you guys work for?" Fitz asked. No one spoke. "It's your job to protect whom?" Still nothing. "I'm going to assume that in order to be a Secret Service Agent you cannot be dumb as a rock, correct me if I'm wrong, though." Fitz waited for someone to correct him. "Since no one has said anything then I'll assume that I'm right, yet again. Which means, unless the Deputy Director gives you an order, you take orders from me. Am I right?"

Everyone nodded their heads yes.

"I want a list of the names of every agent who was sent out to Miss Pope's apartment, and I want it yesterday." Fitz stood up and left the room. He was too tired to listen to anything else they had to say. It could all wait until later today as far as he was concerned. His main priority was getting back to his Livvie.

* * *

><p>When Olivia woke up hours later, she felt someone lying with her. She tensed up for a few seconds until she remembered that Fitz came and saved her. She was okay. Lifting her head, she could see the sun coming through the blinds, so she guessed that it had to be around afternoon time, maybe. But she wasn't sure what day it was. It felt like she'd been asleep for a few days now, at least.<p>

Fitz immediately woke up as soon as he felt Olivia start to stir. "Hi," he said. He'd fallen asleep shortly after returning to the room and getting in bed with Olivia, wrapping himself around her.

"Hi," she said. "Where are we?"

"One of the guest bedrooms in Blair House."

Olivia laid her head back down on the bed, staring at Fitz. She could feel tears forming in her eyes. Fitz tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear before rubbing the backs of his fingers tenderly down her cheek.

"Don't cry Livvie. It's okay. You know I would never let anything happen to you."

Olivia closed her eyes and nodded her head in acknowledgment of his statement. He pulled her into his chest, holding her tightly while she tried not to cry, but his actions were making it harder for her to hold back her tears.

Hearing her cry made Fitz's heart break. He was even angrier, if that were possible, at those agents and their stupidity; and not to mention Mellie. He knew it was her who placed the call, but why? Did she really love Andrew that much? Or did she just hate him that much? What had Olivia ever done to Mellie? True enough, Olivia showing up in their lives just reinforced that there was no hope for their marriage, but Mellie had to have known that before Olivia showed up. Hell, all of America knew it. That's why they needed Olivia in the first place.

"It was me, wasn't it?" she asked.

"What was you?"

"I was the thing that was supposed to motivate you to go to war, right?" She didn't wait for him to respond. "It makes sense now. Anyone who's close enough to you, and has seen you near me, can figure it out. I'm your Achilles heel."

Fitz swallowed, afraid to confirm her suspicions.

"I just don't understand. Was it really that important to Andrew and Elizabeth that we go to war, important enough to risk my life? I could've been killed. Who's to say the kidnappers wouldn't have gotten brazen and decided to hurt me?"

Fitz was shocked at just how sharp her mind was at a time like this. Most people were very disoriented after taking a sedative, but she was alert and processing. That was his Livvie, ladies and gents. She was voicing every question he'd been asking himself last night as he watched her sleep.

Their time together was interrupted, though, by a loud commotion outside in the hallway. Fitz jumped up immediately, preparing to exit the room, but Olivia stopped him. They both knew who was on the other side of the door.

"We face this together, Fitz," she told him. "If there's going to continue to be any hope for us, we have to be a united team. Right?"

"Right," he said, smiling at her.

Before they could say anything else, they heard a boom as someone forced the door open and it flew back, hitting the wall.

"Fitzgerald, Olivia," Mellie said, folding her arms across her chest and glaring back and forth between the two of them.

* * *

><p><strong>Earlier that evening…<strong>

Mellie had been sitting in what used to be her and Fitz's bedroom, waiting on him to come up from the Oval Office, but he seemed content to take his precious little time. She was getting angrier the longer she had to wait. _How dare he embarrass me like this? I am his wife! I will not continue to be humiliated like this anymore!_

As soon as Mellie returned to the White House from a fundraiser she had to attend out of state, she'd received word from one of her favorite Secret Service agents that Olivia Pope had come to the White House one night this week and Fitz had brought her up to their bedroom. She already knew what went down as soon as she was told that Olivia didn't leave until the next day.

It's like Fitz didn't care about her feelings at all. When it came to Olivia Pope, the world could crash and burn for all Fitz cared, and he'd let Mellie crash and burn right along with it. He only saw his kids and Olivia, no one else. Mellie didn't know how much more of it that she could take, but she would be damned if she signed any divorce papers. If Fitz hadn't leaked Olivia's name as his mistress, the world would absolutely adore Olivia and Mellie knew that America would be welcoming Olivia into the White House with open arms.

Mellie wondered briefly if, perhaps, Olivia didn't know who leaked her name. Mellie smirked at the thought. _I wonder what Olivia will think of her "precious Fitz" if she knew…_

Mellie didn't have time to think about it further when she got a coded message from Andrew. The plan was in action. After tonight, Fitz would see what it was like to live without his precious Olivia. Sure, he'd get her back eventually… maybe. That ultimate decision was hers to make. Andrew and Elizabeth only cared about the country going to war with West Angola. Mellie's goal was to break Fitz.

Tired of waiting, she decided to make her way down to the Oval Office and see what was keeping Fitz. She knew of a secret entrance that she could get to that allowed her access to the Oval Office without having to go past his Secretary. But just as she was about to twist the doorknob, she heard his voice and it didn't take long for her to figure out whom he was talking to by his sickeningly sweet tone of voice and words.

If Mellie thought she was angry before, then she didn't know how to describe what she was feeling right now. It went beyond rage. It was something deeper. After all she'd done and given up for him, he can't seem to get Olivia out of his system.

She made her way to the other door where his Secretary was likely sitting when she heard him curse and run out of the room. Hiding out of sight but where she could still hear, she heard him tell his agents that he needed a group sent to Olivia Pope's place. She knew then, Fitz had figured it out. She had to give him credit; he was smarter than she liked to think he was.

The agents were so busy rushing and trying to get what Fitz wanted done that they didn't even notice her standing there. _Idiots._

Once the coast was clear, Mellie calmly made her way to her office. She locked the door and placed a call to her favorite agent, Hal.

**A/N: This is where I shall leave you guys. I hope it isn't too cruel of me, lol. So what do you think will happen next? You know now who made the call, and Hal isn't somewhere twiddling his thumbs in this story. He's alive and well, and still "meddling". Will Mellie tell Olivia who leaked her name? If she does, how will Olivia react?**


	7. Chapter 7

_The agents were so busy rushing and trying to get what Fitz wanted done that they didn't even notice her standing there. Idiots._

_Once the coast was clear, Mellie calmly made her way to her office. She locked the door and placed a call to her favorite agent, Hal._

* * *

><p>Olivia remained seated on the bed, partially obscured by Fitz. She was eyeing Mellie warily. She knew better than anyone that Mellie only made a grand entrance in this fashion when she was pissed and wanted to pull the rug out from under someone, namely Fitz; something Mellie took great pleasure in doing.<p>

Fitz folded his arms across his chest as well, matching Mellie's stance. He really didn't have time for her bullshit at the moment. But, he was curious as to what she had to say, and he couldn't wait to burst her bubble by telling her what he knew. For someone so educated, sometimes Mellie could be really stupid; astoundingly so.

John looked at Fitz apologetically from the doorway. He'd tried his best to restrain Mellie, but after the debacle with Fitz earlier that night, he wasn't really on his A-game.

Mellie stepped to the side so that she could see both Fitz and Olivia. "Olivia," Mellie said, smirking, "Fancy meeting you here. But then again, where there's Fitz and a bedroom I can be sure to find you as well."

Olivia didn't bother to respond, instead, tilting her head to the side. She looked at Mellie for a few seconds before laughing. That only made Mellie even angrier. Fitz and Olivia watched with amused expressions as Mellie's brow furrowed and her face turned red. She was determined to wipe their amused expressions off their faces.

"What's so funny, Olivia? I'd like to know, because, surely, if you knew what I did you wouldn't be laughing. In fact, you might even hate Fitz." Mellie eyes were full of hate as they focused on Fitz. "I know I do."

They both looked at Mellie in confusion. Neither knew what she was talking about, and that wasn't a feeling that they liked. When it came to Mellie it helped to be 5 steps ahead at all times.

Mellie walked over to the chair that Fitz had been occupying very early that morning and took a seat. She took her time crossing her legs and smoothing out her skirt; always the consummate politician's wife. "Olivia," she began, but Fitz cut her off.

"Why did you do it Mel?" he asked. He scoffed when she had the nerve to look confused. "I know all about Andrew and Elizabeth's plans. I know you were helping them."

Mellie continued to pretend that she didn't know what he was talking about. "What plan Fitz?" But her upper lip twitched, and he knew for sure that she was lying then.

Olivia chose that moment to move off the bed. Fitz immediately turned to help her as her movements were slow due to the aftereffects of the sedative. Mellie's face was set into a deep frown as she watched the tender care that Fitz showed Olivia. It's like he was handling the world's greatest treasure. It bothered Mellie to no end that she'd never been shown that kind of affection from Fitz unless she was pregnant.

"I'm fine," Olivia said to Fitz, stepping out of his protective embrace once she was steadily standing on her feet. Slowly, she made her way over to Mellie.

Olivia didn't care that she could technically go to jail for assaulting the First Lady, she didn't even think about the fact that there were Secret Service agents outside who would likely tackle her to the ground. She walked right up to Mellie and slapped her across the face so hard that there was a red handprint on Mellie's right cheek.

Mellie grabbed her cheek and stared up at Olivia in shock and outrage. Fitz was standing there dumbfounded. None of Mellie's agents made a move to restrain Olivia; they'd already heard what happened to Fitz's agents so they weren't too quick to underestimate Olivia at the moment, and they knew that touching her would mean enduring the wrath of the President.

John, who happened to be standing outside the doorway when it happened, shook his head. _What is it with these two?_ he thought.

Calmly, Olivia made her way back over to Fitz. "That's for trying to have me kidnapped," Olivia said.

"I did no such thing!" Mellie yelled.

"Do NOT sit there and lie to either of our faces!" Fitz quickly made his way over to Mellie, and she shrank back in her chair. She thought he was going to slap her too, but Fitz would never put his hands on a woman. "I'm sick of your shit Mellie! You put Olivia's life in danger by calling off the agents I sent to rescue her, all so you could do what? Take my presidency? Destroy me?" His chest was heaving, he was breathing that hard. Olivia's eyes widened. "If you hate me that much then you should've signed the divorce papers one of the millions of times that I asked you to."

Mellie jumped up, getting in Fitz's face. "No, Fitz! I'm not going to sign a damn thing so you can run off into the sun with your precious Olivia. I didn't give up my whole life for you, only to have you toss me to the side because you've suddenly realized what love is. We made a vow 'till death do us part,' and guess what? I'm still breathing."

In that instant, Fitz could vividly picture her lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask covering her face, just like Verna... But he wouldn't let his mind continue down that path. He wouldn't lose control, no matter how infuriating she was.

He grabbed her by the arms in a vise-like grip. "Tell me where the hell Andrew and Elizabeth are right now," he demanded.

"No," Mellie said, indignantly.

"Tell me," he repeated.

"Go to hell! I said no."

Suddenly, Olivia spoke up as she started pacing, trying to work out her thoughts. "Mellie, tell me something."

Fitz loosened his grip on Mellie, turning his head to look at Olivia.

"Andrew promised you something, right?" She didn't wait for Mellie's response. "If Fitz loses it all then so do you, and I know you, you don't want to lose it all. If you lose it all then not only will you have nothing but you'll be nothing. As much as you'd hate to admit it, Fitz made you. If it weren't for him, no one would even know your name. You wouldn't have a platform, you wouldn't get to speak at or host events. You'd still be a lawyer, and maybe you'd be good, but you wouldn't have the level of power that you crave."

Mellie's face was ashen; she was shocked that Olivia had figured it out. A part of her had always been in awe of Olivia and the way her mind worked. Maybe that's what drew Fitz to Olivia.

"He couldn't have offered you marriage, because let's face it, you aren't cut out for that. And marrying him would only make you First Lady, which you already are. Granted, he could let you have a more functional role, maybe even let you call more shots, but that wouldn't be enough for you. You want it all or nothing. Right?" Olivia stopped pacing and turned to face Mellie. "You don't have much experience in politics so naturally you'd have to work your way up, but that could take time. Unless, Andrew made you his VP."

"Mellie?" Fitz asked. Olivia's reasoning sounded very logical, but he wanted to hear it from Mellie. He wanted her to confirm that power really meant this much to her; it meant risking someone's life.

Mellie glared at Fitz. He didn't get to judge her. They all did terrible things for what they believed was the greater good of the country, and she would be good for their country.

Olivia chuckled to herself. "I'm afraid you just might be dumber than I thought. I mean, did you really think Elizabeth was going to sit back and let Andrew make _you_ his VP after she'd worked so hard to help ensure he become president. That's assuming that their little plan succeeded, which it didn't. You're not fit to help run this country."

"Shut up, Olivia! You don't know anything. You still don't even know who leaked your name and let the world know that you were Fitz's mistress in the first place. Well it was Fitz!" Mellie pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. "_He_ did that to you. _He_ ruined your life. If he hadn't done that, no one would have been any wiser as to just what or who Fitz's weakness was. Once your name was out, anyone with two eyes could look into you two and see just how taken he was with you. He had whipped written all over his forehead. It was only a matter of time before someone used you to get to Fitz."

They heard an "oh shit" from John. He knew he had to get Mellie's agents to get her out of there right now before shit hit the fan, or a body.

Olivia's mouth fell open, and her eyes darted back and forth between Mellie and Fitz. Fitz had never hated Mellie as much as he did in that moment. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd intended to drop that bomb all along. Mellie saw the horrified look on Olivia's face and finally smiled triumphantly.

_Mission accomplished._

"I guess you two probably need to talk," Mellie said.

Neither of them paid attention to her as she finally left the room.

"Liv," Fitz said, reaching out to her. He needed to touch her, to know that he hadn't lost her just yet. He knew there were probably a million thoughts racing through her mind and not a single one of them was in his favor.

"No. Do not touch me," Olivia said, shaking her head in disbelief. She couldn't even look at him right now. All that she had gone through: the humiliation, the whispers; whispers that she still heard on occasion… she'd felt so broken, but she didn't complain, she figured it was bound to come out some day. Never in a million years did she think Fitz would be the reason, not unless it was part of their orchestrated plan for it to happen that way, but that would be a decision that they'd make together.

"Don't push me away. Let me explain first," he pleaded.

"Explain?! What is there to explain, Fitz? Hmm? You heard Mellie, you ruined my life!"

Olivia finally looked up at Fitz, meeting his devastated eyes. His expression was pained, as though she'd physically struck him, too. Just like she'd always had issues with being called his mistress, he'd always worried that he had ruined her life, that somehow they could've stayed apart and never fallen in love like they did if it weren't for him. As if.

"How can there be hope for us now?" she asked in a whisper.

"No, Olivia, don't say that. There _is_ hope; there'll always be hope for us. Do you understand me? Don't ever ask me that." He walked up to her, cupping her face in his hands. "I love you," he said, his tone pleading with her to believe him.

Olivia's eyes were frantically searching his. What she wanted was to believe that he wouldn't do something like this, that Mellie was lying, but then she thought about Verna. Fitz was capable of anything when it came to her; she was his Achilles heel like she'd stated earlier.

"I did that for us," he said, just like she knew he would.

"Us? Really Fitz? Is that what you believe?" She pushed his hands off her face.

Olivia suddenly felt very tired. Not just physically, but mentally, as well. This was all too much to take in. After everything that they'd been through, it was all coming down to this moment. She was afraid that she'd finally had enough. Maybe their love was too toxic after all. She started pacing in circles, gradually increasing her speed the more she thought about what Mellie had told her. She thought about the camera flashes everywhere she went, the press going through her trash and surrounding her business and home, the money she had to use to keep her business afloat because no one wanted to be represented by the lady who couldn't even keep her own name out of the papers.

And she'd thought that Fitz bringing Jake into their lives was the worst thing he'd ever done to her, to them. Nope. This took the cake.

"I had to save you from Mellie. She had all of that information on you. She was just waiting for the right moment to release it. She had no qualms with admitting on live, national television that I'd had an affair so you know she would've done it. She would've ruined you, too."

"Yet, _you_ released my name," she said. She didn't care why he'd done it, just that he'd done it.

"I didn't have a choice."

"You did have a choice, Fitz. You did!" She pushed him in her anger. Even though she wanted to leave at that moment, she didn't. She knew how she felt when he refused to let her fully explain herself for Defiance. She at least owed him that much.

She was right he did have a choice, but where would that have gotten him? He wanted out of his sham of a marriage, and Mellie gave him the perfect opportunity. He couldn't not take it.

"That's where you're wrong, Liv. I've never had a choice. From the moment that I first saw you, I stopped having a choice. Everything that I do, I do it for you, for us." He grabbed her shoulders. "Tonight I risked everything to save you. And believe it or not, that's what I was doing when I leaked your name. I was saving you, from living a lie, being a dirty, little secret."

"No, Fitz, you were saving yourself, because you wanted out and you knew I would change my mind and try to talk you out of it!" She got in his face, raising her voice even more until she was nearly screaming. "I have been riding and dying for you! I fixed an election for you! I've sacrificed everything, did whatever it took, to keep you in office. _That _was for _you_!" She hit his chest with her fists. "Do you think I've been happy all of these years without you?" Olivia paused to catch her breath. Tears were threatening to fall down her cheeks, and she closed her eyes briefly, trying to calm down. Lowering her voice, she continued, "All I've ever wanted was Vermont and two kids with you. I'd give all of this up in an instant if I believed you weren't the best man to run this country."

Fitz was beyond frustrated. It was always about the country with her and Mellie and Cyrus, and what they believed they had given up. He never asked them to sacrifice anything for him. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, tugging slightly.

"That's the damn problem! You keep worrying about what's best for this country. Well fuck the country! I would go to war to save you. Don't you get that Liv? I don't care if that makes me a bad person. I know it's wrong. I do. But a life without you in it isn't a life at all. I did what I thought would give me a life with you. Yeah, okay, it was stupid to go about it the way that I did, but that's how badly I want a life with you."

"You leaked my name!"

The agents outside of the door flinched. They'd never heard Olivia and Fitz argue like this.

"I did it for you." Fitz's voice was laced with defeat. He lowered his eyes and his shoulders slumped. _Heavy is the head that wears the crown. _He'd messed up, bad, but surely she wouldn't let this be the end of them, _he _wouldn't let it.

Fitz attempted to grab her hand, but she jerked back. He watched in horror as she took the promise ring that he'd given her off her pointer finger and threw it at his chest. Its impact felt like a knife being shoved in his chest. He'd prefer that over this. His eyes followed its descent to the ground. He was certain his heart was there now, too.

"Doux bébé," he whispered brokenly.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was a drastic turn. One question though: Do you guys trust me? You should, because we all know where this is going to end.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

"_I did it for you." Fitz's voice was laced with defeat. He lowered his eyes and his shoulders slumped. _Heavy is the head that wears the crown._ He'd messed up, bad, but surely she wouldn't let this be the end of them, he wouldn't let it._

_Fitz attempted to grab her hand, but she jerked back. He watched in horror as she took the promise ring that he'd given her off her pointer finger and threw it at his chest. Its impact felt like a knife being shoved in his chest. He'd prefer that over this. His eyes followed the ring's descent to the ground. He was certain his heart was there now, too._

"_Doux bébé," he whispered brokenly._

* * *

><p>Fitz wanted to fall down on his knees and weep, but he couldn't. Olivia was running and he couldn't let her, he wouldn't. "John," he yelled.<p>

One of his other agents stepped into the room. "Sir, he's already got her."

Fitz exhaled, closing his eyes. _Thank God._ "Okay."

"Where would you like us to take her, sir?"

"Where does she want to go?" he asked.

"She's demanding he take her to her apartment. She wants to pack a bag." The agent looked off, hoping to erase the pained expression on the President's face from his mind. He'd never seen Fitz look so broken.

"Fine. Let her pack a bag. But she's not going anywhere. Bring her back here as soon as she packs what she wants. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

Fitz turned and walked over to the bed, making it clear that he wanted to be left alone. He listened to the door close. He was so angry with Mellie he could kill her. The only thing stopping him was the fact that she is the mother of his children. He wouldn't take their mom from them. Losing Jerry was hard enough. He was too restless to remain in one spot. He made his way over to the chair. He knew he needed to focus on running the country, and finding Elizabeth and Andrew, but he couldn't think knowing that Liv might hate him now. He picked up the glass he'd been drinking out of earlier and threw it, watching it shatter against the fireplace.

His agents normally would have come running into the room at the sound of glass breaking, but they knew better. No one wanted to face him while he was this upset unless they had news on Andrew or Elizabeth.

Fitz's emotions were all over the place at the moment. He felt like going for a run, even though he hated running, to clear his head. Before leaving the room he picked the ring up off the floor and put it in his pocket. He'd make sure he put it back where it belonged, soon.

* * *

><p>"John," Olivia said, her tone clipped.<p>

"Miss Pope."

"Tell the President that I want to be left alone. You guys can go."

"With all due respect ma'am, I take orders from the President. I know you're not happy, but he only wants the best for you. So no, I'm not leaving, and you are coming with me once you get what you want from your room."

"Un-be-fucking-lievable," Olivia said, as she groaned and stormed down the hall and into her bedroom.

She just wanted a moment to herself. She just needed a moment. The past 24 hours had been more than hectic for her. She needed about three bottles of wine in order to relax. Instead, she moved hastily around her room, throwing things in her suitcase. She didn't pay attention to anything she grabbed; she was just going through the motions. Anything to occupy her mind and keep her from crying.

_How could he do this to me?_ She was devastated. Then she remembered how broken he was after Defiance. They had both done terrible things in the name of love. Was it really love though? Love shouldn't break you. It should make you stronger.

Slowly emerging from her room, she made her way down the hall to her living room. "I'm ready," she said, quietly.

* * *

><p>Olivia plugged her phone charger into an outlet. She'd gotten it when she went back to her place and realized it was dead. As she waited for it to recharge, she sat on the edge of the bed with her arms folded. She didn't appreciate Fitz trying to dictate her movements. She demanded to speak with him when she returned to Blair House but was told that he was busy. So now she was forced to sit and wait for him to return.<p>

Her phone buzzed as it came to life. Picking it up, she saw that she had 4 missed calls and a text from Quinn. She was probably worried about why she didn't show up to work that morning.

She debated calling Quinn back when Fitz walked into the room. She looked up at him but didn't speak. He eyed her as he made his way over to the chair. After his run, he'd freshened up and changed into jeans and a sweater. He wanted to be as relaxed as possible when he faced Liv again. He'd put off on coming to see her, trying to get some work done in his office. Olivia put her phone down.

"It's late. You should be getting ready for bed," he said.

Olivia scoffed. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. You need to rest."

"I need to get out of here."

"No."

They stared at one another, neither willing to concede.

"John," Fitz called out, "where are the rest of Miss Pope's things?"

Olivia rolled her eyes and picked her phone up again. Fitz stood up and walked over to her, taking her phone out of her hand.

"We're having them packed up and brought here like you requested," John responded from the doorway. Sensing that they need to talk, John stepped back into the hall and closed the door behind him.

Fitz and Olivia continued to look at one another.

"Liv, I don't want to fight with you." He looked down briefly. "I'll apologize till I'm blue in the face if that's what it takes."

"Fitz—"

Fitz got up and walked over to Liv. "No. Don't tell me it won't do any good. I won't listen to you. I don't believe you. You're angry and I get that—"

"Can I go?" she asked. "If you won't leave, can I go?"

Fitz felt a pain in his chest for the second time that day. He'd rather Olivia yell at him, or hit him, but she was dismissing him completely—shutting him out. Even though he knew there was a high chance that she would reject him he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. She remained stiff in his embrace.

"I'm going to fix this, Livvie." He cupped her face, but she turned her head, forcing him to drop his hand. "I promise you that."

Olivia sat there as he released her and left the room.

Olivia knew Fitz wasn't going to let her leave, but she hoped she could convince him to tomorrow. In the meantime, she got dressed for bed. It was early evening but she didn't have anything better to do, and she was beyond exhausted. She didn't want to think anymore. Her phone started ringing so she grabbed it, checking the caller I.D. _Quinn_.

Olivia decided to ignore it. She'd check in with her team tomorrow. Besides, there's no way Huck didn't have at least an inkling of an idea of where she was right now.

She went to the bathroom to wash her face. By the time she emerged, Fitz had returned. She paused in the doorway leading from the bathroom to the bedroom, glaring at Fitz.

"You have a bedroom to sleep in. I suggest you go to it."

But Fitz ignored her. She could ice him out all she wanted to, but he wasn't going to budge. He stood up and put her ring on the nightstand next to the bed before undressing himself. Olivia's eyes went from him to the ring.

As angry as she was with him, a small part of her wanted him to sleep in the same bed as her. She now knew what he meant when he said there wasn't anything she could do that he wouldn't forgive her for. She knew that with time, she'd forgive him too. But for right now, she was still angry.

"Fitz—"

"If you're sleeping here, then I'm sleeping here too. I'm not leaving this room so don't waste your breath." He looked up at her as he folded his clothes and placed them in the chair before putting on his pajamas. "You need to relax. I brought your medicine." He hoped she wouldn't continue to fight him. He was just as exhausted as she was and he wanted to get some sleep. This was the earliest he'd been able to go to bed in a long time.

Only because she was tired from the day's events, Olivia didn't bother arguing with him. She took her sedative, hoping to get a good night's sleep, and got in the bed. She made sure to place a pillow behind her, letting Fitz know she didn't want him touching her.

Sometime during the night Olivia subconsciously moved the pillow and draped an arm over his torso, snuggling into his side.

* * *

><p>The next morning, when Fitz woke up he wasn't surprised to find Olivia in his arms. He knew that she belonged there, whether she wanted to admit it at the moment or not. Slowly, he moved from under her body and got out of bed. She mumbled before turning her body to face away from him, taking his pillow with her and hugging it to her body. He smiled at his Livvie. He slept well last night after he realized what he needed to do.<p>

He quickly threw on his clothes from yesterday and left the room. "John, follow me."

"Yes sir," John responded.

"I need you to go to arrange for Miss Pope's apartment to be sold. She's not living there anymore. I'll find her a new apartment if she refuses to stay here, but she can't live there anymore. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you John. That'll be all."

As Fitz made his way to the Oval Office he ran into Cyrus.

"How's Olivia, sir?"

Fitz wanted to ask how Cyrus knew but he knew Mellie probably told Cyrus everything that happened, or some version of it, that suited whatever plan she had concocted. He ignored his question. "Cyrus, I need you to make the arrangements for me and a guest to stay at Camp David for the next week."

"Sir?" Cyrus knew that by a guest Fitz meant Olivia. He just didn't know what was going on, and he hated being left out of the loop.

"Thank you, Cyrus."

Cyrus continued to follow Fitz to the Oval. As soon as they stepped inside he shut the door and took a seat on one of the couches.

"What is it Cyrus?"

"We have to work on replacing your VP. I know it's a bit premature, but I think you'll agree that we can't work with a traitor and Andrew is what we call a traitor."

"You're right. Any ideas?"

"Not at the moment. But we have to figure out a way to get rid of Andrew. You can have him impeached, expose his plans."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here somewhere." Fitz checked his phone before putting it away in his top drawer. He had a few briefs that needed his immediate attention.

"Well sir, we have to look at the optics. Exposing Andrew's plan also exposes your relationship with Liv."

Fitz just grunted in response. "Get back to me once you sort everything for Camp David. That will be all Cyrus."

Cyrus looked at him, perplexed by his lack of concern. Fitz carried on as though he didn't notice Cyrus was still in the room until he left. He sighed before sitting back in his chair. He had a lot of work ahead of him. He wished he could talk things over with Olivia, get her input, but she didn't want to speak to him at the moment.

* * *

><p>Fitz was spending time with Teddy, watching him play with his toy blocks when he heard a vibration coming from his desk. He knew it was probably Olivia so he made sure Teddy was content before getting up to retrieve his phone from the top drawer.<p>

"Livvie," he answered.

"Fitz, you can't hold me captive. That's what you're doing. You know that right?"

"I'm not holding you captive. I just need to make sure you don't try and leave, not until we—look, can we talk about this later?"

"No, I want to talk now. I have a job to do Fitz. There are people who count on me. I can't sit here all day."

"Livvie—"

"Fitzgerald."

"I'm not doing this right now. I'll see you in a few hours. Then we can talk."

"I'm going to work, Fitz."

"Fine. And then you're going right back to Blair House."

As soon as Fitz hung up, Cyrus walked into his office.

"Sir. Everything's set up for you to go to Camp David. You leave at 5 pm."

"Perfect. Thank you Cyrus." That gave him about 3 and a half hours to work.

Cyrus nodded once before leaving the room. He thanked the Heavens above he was a gay man. Nothing caused him more stress than dealing with the complications of his heterosexual friends' relationships.

* * *

><p>"What?" Olivia said, answering her phone. She hadn't bothered to check the caller I.D. so she prayed it wasn't Fitz calling her back.<p>

"Liv, where are you?"

"Quinn I'm fine."

"You didn't come to work yesterday or this morning, and I tried to go to your apartment…Huck pulled up the cameras."

Olivia exhaled loudly. She didn't necessarily want to talk about what happened, or almost happened.

Sensing this, Quinn decided to change the subject. Olivia couldn't be forced to talk when she didn't want to. "We have a new client. I hope you don't mind but I accepted. I know you'll want to help him."

"Who is he?" Olivia asked, climbing onto the bed and folding her legs.

"Um, are you sure you want to handle this. Huck and I have things under control. We can do it," Quinn said.

"Quinn, I'm fine. I need to work, okay?"

"His name is Clarence Parkers. His 17 year old son, Brandon Parker, was gunned down by a cop, and he's refusing to leave his son's body until he speaks to the cop who shot his son."

"His son's body is still lying in the street?" Olivia got off the bed and started to put on some real clothes. "Don't leave the office. I'm on my way."

Olivia finished getting dressed and grabbed her purse, throwing her phone into it, and left.

* * *

><p>Fitz took his time going over briefs to pass the time. Three hours later he went up to the residence to pack for his impromptu trip to Camp David. He was a little apprehensive about Liv's reaction, but he knew they needed this. This was the only way he knew how to fix them. They needed to be alone.<p>

He was surprised that he hadn't seen or heard a peep from Mellie since last night. Not that he was complaining or anything. Hopefully he and Olivia would be long gone by the time Mellie showed her face again.

Fitz let John know his bags were ready then made his way to Blair House.

Fitz was a little relieved when he realized Liv hadn't returned yet. He could put off what might be yet another "confrontation" with Liv. Walking into the bedroom, Fitz decided to pack her things for her. It'd make things slightly easier. As he was zipping her suitcase it occurred to him that Liv not being back yet could be a bad thing, but he pushed the negative train of thought from his mind.

Olivia walked through the door at that moment talking on her phone.

"Thank you David," Olivia said, before hanging up the phone. She turned to take off her coat and that's when she noticed Fitz and her suitcase. She gave him a confused look and folded her arms across her chest. "What's going on?"

"How was your day?" Fitz asked, ignoring her question and the irritated expression on her face.

"Fine. Now what's going on?"

Fitz sighed. "We're going to Camp David for a while."

"Fitz, I told you I have a job—"

"And people who count on you. I know. You can work from there just like I can. Your team is plenty capable of handling things in your absence. So we're going, and I don't want you to fight me on this."

"You can't just drag me to Camp David because you decide to."

"The hell I can't. You want to break up, that's fine. You don't want to wear your ring, that's fine too. But if you think I'm not going to do whatever I can to fix us, then maybe you aren't as astute as I thought you were."

Olivia shook her head. She knew fighting him wouldn't do any good, not when he was hell bent on something. "And how are you going to explain this to the public? Why don't you take Mellie? Fix things with Mellie."

"I don't love Mellie, I love _you_ dammit," Fitz said, walking up to Olivia and grabbing her by the arms.

She tensed up. Despite her anger with him, all she wanted to do was kiss him when he was this close to her. Her eyes fell to his lips before she looked him in the eyes again.

"I'm in love with you," Fitz whispered, kissing her softly. "Just say you'll come with me."

Olivia pulled herself from his grasp, hating that she felt herself giving in so easily. "Fine, I'll go with you."

**Merry Christmas! I definitely struggled with this chapter lol. But the good news is I'll be working on Devil In a Red Dress next, so we get to see more of their honeymoon. I love reviews; any suggestions are welcome! Thanks to the winter finale that shall not be named, I have hella things to alter in this FF in order to hold true to that hope Shonda dangled in our faces. *side eye***


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